The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States. Asa Gray
with three green bractlets, which early fall away. Sepals 6, fugacious. Petals 6 or 9, obovate. Stamens twice as many as the petals in our species; anthers linear-oblong, not opening by uplifted valves. Ovary ovoid; stigma sessile, large, thick and undulate. Fruit a large fleshy berry. Seeds covering the very large lateral placenta, in many rows, each seed enclosed in a pulpy aril, all forming a mass which fills the cavity of the fruit.—Perennial herbs, with creeping rootstocks and thick fibrous roots. Stems 2-leaved, 1-flowered. (Name from ποῦς, a foot, and φύλλον, a leaf, probably referring to the stout petioles.)
1. P. peltàtum, L. Stamens 12–18; leaves 5–9-parted, the lobes oblong, rather wedge-shaped, somewhat lobed and toothed at the apex.—Rich woods, common. May.—Flowerless stems terminated by a large round 7–9-lobed leaf, peltate in the middle like an umbrella. Flowering stems bearing two one-sided leaves, with the stalk fixed near their inner edge; the nodding white flower from the fork nearly 2´ broad. Fruit ovoid, 1–2´ long, ripe in July, sweet and slightly acid, edible. The leaves and roots are drastic and poisonous!—Found occasionally with from 2 to 6 carpels!
Order 6. NYMPHÆÀCEÆ. (Water-Lily Family.)
Aquatic perennial herbs, with horizontal rootstocks and peltate or sometimes only cordate leaves floating or emersed; the ovules borne on the sides or back (or when solitary hanging from the summit) of the cells, not on the ventral suture; the embryo enclosed in a little bag at the end of the albumen next the hilum, except in Nelumbium, which has no albumen. Radicle hardly any; cotyledons thick and fleshy, enclosing a well-developed plumule.—Flowers axillary, solitary. Vernation involute. Rootstocks apparently endogenous.—The few genera differ so much in the flower and fruit that they are separated into the three following suborders.
Suborder I. Cabómbeæ. Sepals and petals each 3 or sometimes 4, hypogynous and persistent. Stamens definite (3–18). Pistils 2–18, free and distinct, coriaceous and indehiscent, 1–3-seeded on the dorsal suture.—Stems slender, leafy, coated with mucilage. Flowers small.
1. Cabomba. Stamens 3–4. Carpels 2–3. Submersed leaves capillary-multifid.
2. Brasenia. Stamens 12–18. Carpels 4–18. Leaves all peltate.
Suborder II. Nelumbòneæ. Sepals and petals numerous in several rows, passing gradually into each other, and with the indefinitely numerous stamens hypogynous and deciduous. Pistils several, 1-ovuled, separately immersed in the obconical receptacle, which is much enlarged and broadly top-shaped at maturity, the imbedded nut-like fruits resembling small acorns. Embryo large; no albumen.—Petioles and peduncles all from the tuberous rootstock, the centrally peltate leaves and the flowers large.
3. Nelumbo. Character of the Suborder.
Suborder III. Nymphæaceæ proper. Sepals 4–6, and petals numerous in many rows, persistent or decaying away, either hypogynous or variously adnate to the surface of the compound 8–30-celled ovary, which is formed by the union of as many carpels; the numerous ovules inserted over the whole inner face of the cells, except at the ventral suture. Stigmas radiate as in Poppy. Fruit baccate, with a firm rind. Petioles and peduncles from a thick rootstock.
4. Nymphæa. Petals adnate to the ovary, large; the stamens on its summit.
5. Nuphar. Petals (very small and stamen-like) and stamens inserted under the ovary.
1. CABÓMBA, Aublet.
Sepals 3. Petals 3, oval, bi-auriculate above the very short claw. Stamens 3–6; anthers short, extrorse. Pistils 2–4, with small terminal stigmas. Seeds 3, pendulous.—Slender, mainly submersed, with opposite or verticillate capillary-dissected leaves, a few floating, alternate and centrally peltate. Flowers single on long axillary peduncles. (Probably an aboriginal name.)
1. C. Caroliniàna, Gray. Floating leaves linear-oblong or -obovate, often with a basal notch; flowers 6–8´´ broad, white with yellow spots at base; stamens 6.—Ponds, S. Ill. (May–Sept., Schneck) to Fla. and Tex.
2. BRASÈNIA, Schreber. Water-Shield.
Sepals 3 or 4. Petals 3 or 4, linear, sessile. Stamens 12–18; filaments filiform; anthers innate. Pistils 4–18, forming little club-shaped indehiscent pods; stigmas linear. Seeds 1–2, pendulous on the dorsal suture!—Rootstock creeping. Leaves alternate, long-petioled, centrally peltate, oval, floating. Flowers axillary, small, dull-purple. (Name of uncertain origin.)
1. B. peltàta, Pursh. Leaves entire, 1–4´ across.—Ponds and slow streams. June–Aug. (Asia, Africa and Australia.)
3. NELÚMBO, Tourn. Sacred Bean.
The only genus of the suborder. (Nelumbo is the Ceylonese name of the East Indian species, the pink-flowered N. speciosum.)
1. N. lùtea, Pers. (Yellow Nelumbo, or Water Chinquapin.) Leaves usually raised high out of the water, circular, with the centre depressed or cupped, 1–2° in diameter; flower pale yellow, 5–10´ broad; anthers tipped with a slender hooked appendage. (Nelumbium luteum, Willd.)—S. Conn. (probably of Indian introduction) to Lake Ontario, Mich., Minn., E. Neb., and southward; rare in the Middle States.—Tubers farinaceous and edible. Seeds also eatable. Embryo like that of Nymphæa on a large scale; cotyledons thick and fleshy, enclosing a plumule of 1 or 2 well-formed young leaves, enclosed in a delicate stipule-like sheath.
4. NYMPHÆ̀A, Tourn. Water-Nymph. Water-Lily.
Sepals 4, green outside, nearly free. Petals numerous, in many rows, the innermost gradually passing into stamens, imbricately inserted all over the ovary. Stamens indefinite, inserted on the ovary, the outer with dilated filaments. Ovary 12–35-celled, the concave summit tipped with a globular projection at the centre, around which are the radiate stigmas; these project at the margin, and are extended into linear and incurved sterile appendages. Fruit depressed-globular, covered with the bases of the decayed petals, maturing under water. Seeds enveloped by a sac-like aril.—Flowers white, pink, yellow, or blue, very showy. (Dedicated by the Greeks to the Water-Nymphs.)
1. N. odoràta, Ait. (Sweet-scented Water-Lily.) Rootstock with few and persistent branches; leaves orbicular, cordate-cleft at the base to the petiole (5–9´ wide), the margin entire; stipules broadly triangular or almost kidney-shaped, notched at the apex, appressed to the rootstock; flower white, very sweet scented (often as much as 5½´ in diameter when fully expanded, opening early in the morning, closing in the afternoon); petals obtuse; anthers blunt; aril much longer than the distinctly stipitate oblong seeds (these about 1½´´ long).—Ponds and still or slow-flowing water; common. June–Sept.—Varies with pinkish-tinged and rarely with bright pink-red flowers (especially at Barnstable, Mass.), the leaves often crimson underneath,—and in size by gradations into
Var. mìnor, Sims., with leaves only 2–5´ and flowers 2–3´ broad.—Shallow water, in cold bogs and in sandy soil.
2. N. renifórmis, DC. (Tuber-bearing W.) Leaves reniform-orbicular, mostly larger (8–15´ wide) and more prominently ribbed than the last, rarely purplish beneath; rootstock bearing numerous spontaneously detaching often compound tubers; flower scentless (or with a slight odor as of apples), white, never pinkish, 4½–9´ in diameter, the petals proportionally broader and blunter than in n. 1; the fruit more depressed, and with fewer but much larger (i.e. twice as broad) globular-ovoid seeds, which when mature are barely enclosed by the aril and not stipitate. (N. tuberosa, Paine.)—Lakes, slow rivers, etc., western N. Y. (from Oneida Lake, Paine) and near Meadville, Penn., to Mich., E. Neb., and probably in the Southern States. July–Sept.
5. NÙPHAR, Smith. Yellow Pond-Lily. Spatter-Dock.
Sepals 5, 6, or sometimes more, colored, or partly green outside, roundish, concave. Petals numerous, small and thickish, stamen-like